Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Wednesday 13 October 1999

Scottish Executive

Civil Service

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a commitment that its recent initiative to disperse civil service jobs will encompass all parts of the Highlands and Islands including locations outside Inverness.

Donald Dewar: In my reply of 15 September to parliamentary question S1W–1558 (Written Answers Report 15, Vol 2 Number 3), I provided details of our plans for the location and relocation of public service jobs in Scotland. I made clear that our policy was to maintain the efficiency and effectiveness of services provided by the Scottish Executive and its agencies. I also said that as far as was consistent with this objective, we believed that the work of the Scottish Executive and related bodies should be as close to the communities they serve as possible. The policy encompasses all parts of Scotland.

Crime

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what actions it intends to take to support the victims of anti-social behaviour.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Executive will continue to support and monitor the range of measures already in place, including those introduced under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, and promote good practice in relation to the use of professional witnesses and victim support initiatives.

Crime

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to support and finance integrated inter-agency action to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Executive will continue to support and monitor the range of measures already in place, including those introduced under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, and to promote good practice.

  We recently announced funding of £186,000 to SACRO (Safeguarding Communities Reducing Offending), to provide a training centre, consultancy service and seminars to help expand mediation services throughout Scotland in the next three years.

Culture

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many students from Scotland have benefited from the UK Dance and Drama Awards Scheme and which local authorities have provided support funding to students receiving an award under the scheme and attending courses outside Scotland.

Henry McLeish: The Student Awards Agency for Scotland is currently providing support for two students who have been successful in obtaining Dance and Drama Awards for higher education courses outwith Scotland in session 1999-2000, the first year of this Scheme.

  Individual local authorities are responsible for considering applications for assistance from students who have secured places on further education courses under the scheme. Information on the number of students being assisted in this way is not held centrally.

Devolution

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of the numbers of jobs involved and proposed dates of transfer of its Departments to different locations in Scotland.

Donald Dewar: I refer Mr Aitken to my reply of 15 September to parliamentary question S1W–1558 (Written Answers Report 15, Vol 2 Number 3), in which I provided details of our plans for the location and relocation of public service jobs in Scotland.

Education

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will acknowledge the work of Skill, Scotland, in assisting students with disabilities at the universities and colleges of Scotland and whether it will make available the necessary £60,000 per annum funding to prevent its possible closure after December when its current lottery grant runs out.

Henry McLeish: A meeting has been arranged with representatives of Skill in Scotland to discuss the organisation’s request for funding from the Scottish Executive.

Education

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the average time taken by the Student Award Agency for Scotland to process the applications it receives.

Henry McLeish: Statistics on the average time taken to deal with an application are not maintained, but the Agency has this year processed some 88% of properly completed applications within its published target of 28 days from the date of receipt.

Elderly People

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the practice of diverting into other budgets funds earmarked for elderly care, as highlighted by Sir Stewart Sutherland, is widespread amongst local authorities and which individual authorities have carried out such actions.

Iain Gray: I refer to the answer I gave to question S1W-1935.

Elderly People

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1462 by Mr Iain Gray on 23 September 1999, when it will provide its response to the Royal Commission Report With Respect to Old Age: Long Term Care – Rights and Responsibilities.

Iain Gray: The recommendations cover a wide range of issues. We are continuing to consider them and will respond as soon as possible.

Energy

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty’s Government with regard to the implications for Scotland of the proposed agreement between Her Majesty’s Government and the Food and Drink Federation on energy reduction measures, as an alternative to energy taxation, and whether any such representations related to the Food and Drink Federation’s request for a year’s delay before entering into any such agreement.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with Her Majesty’s Government across a range of matters, including those relating to the climate change levy and the agreements being negotiated on reductions in energy consumption by the Trade Associations representing the energy intensive sectors.

Enterprise

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government to ascertain exactly when they had information which indicated that Viasystems intended closing its Borders operations and whether it can confirm that members of Scottish Borders Enterprise board of directors knew of the closure plans as early as December 1997.

Henry McLeish: Officials in the then Scottish Office, in Locate in Scotland, and from Scottish Borders Enterprise maintained close contact both with Exacta Systems, and with Viasystems after their acquisition of the company. I understand that the Scottish Office was first informed of the company’s closure plans on 29 September 1998.

  Scottish Borders Enterprise Board have confirmed that they had no knowledge of the closure plans by Viasystems in December 1997.

Freedom of Information

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to provide free access by individuals, with no commercial interest, to information contained in the land register.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Land Register is a public register which is governed by the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979. Any individual is entitled to search it irrespective of whether they do so in a personal or business capacity.

  In terms of section 25 of the Land Registers (Scotland) Act 1868, fees for information provided from the Land Register can only be set at cost recovery level. The current level of fees are prescribed in the Fees in Registers of Scotland (Amendment) Order 1999 [SI 1999.1085 (S.87)]. The fee is the same whether the individual seeks the information in a personal capacity or as an employee of a commercial interest and whether the information is obtained by personal visit to the Land Register premises, by post, by telephone, by e-mail or other electronic means. There are no plans to change these arrangements

Health

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm its commitment to continued development of cochlea transplant technology and implementation within the Ayrshire Hospital Trust.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive is committed to securing for patients the benefits which cochlear implants can provide. The National Services Division of the Common Services Agency is currently carrying out a review of the provision of cochlear implant services in Scotland. Until that review is complete, we are unable to confirm a commitment to ongoing developments at any particular site.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money was spent on compensation payments by the NHS in Scotland in 1998-99.

Susan Deacon: The current estimate of the spend on compensation payments by the NHS in Scotland in 1998-99 is £6.6m (of which £6.3m has been made under legal obligation). This figure represents payments made by the Health Boards, NHS Trusts, Common Services Agency, and the State Hospital. The figure is provisional, as a small number of NHS Trusts have still to submit details of their expenditure in this respect and, in addition, the figures are currently the subject of audit.

Justice

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to specify, for each Procurator Fiscal office, in each of the last five years, the number of cases (a) marked no proceedings (b) dealt with by fiscal warnings, and (c) the total number of cases dealt with.

Lord Hardie: The information requested is as follows:

  

 

FY 1994-95 

  

FY 1995-96 

  

FY 1996-97 

  

FY 1997-98 

  

FY 1998-99 

  



No Proceed-ings 

  

Warning 

  

Total Reports Received 

  

No Proceed-ings 

  

Warning 

  

Total Reports Received 

  

No Proceed-ings 

  

Warning 

  

Total Reports Received 

  

No Proceed-ings 

  

Warning 

  

Total Reports Received 

  

No Proceed-ings 

  

Warning 

  

Total Reports Received 

  



Aberdeen 

  

1,477  

  

468  

  

13,698  

  

1,240  

  

526  

  

13,452  

  

958  

  

309  

  

13,291  

  

1,406  

  

446  

  

15,093  

  

1,727  

  

427  

  

14,517  

  



Airdrie 

  

946  

  

228  

  

6,555  

  

996  

  

312  

  

6,930  

  

857  

  

313  

  

7,572  

  

1,157  

  

370  

  

8,270  

  

1,396  

  

533  

  

9,534  

  



Alloa 

  

373  

  

46  

  

2,645  

  

366  

  

32  

  

2,368  

  

471  

  

58  

  

2,202  

  

435  

  

37  

  

2,267  

  

400  

  

123  

  

2,243  

  



Arbroath 

  

310  

  

227  

  

3,133  

  

338  

  

200  

  

2,809  

  

249  

  

164  

  

2,751  

  

234  

  

330  

  

3,094  

  

433  

  

284  

  

3,254  

  



Ayr 

  

837  

  

160  

  

7,441  

  

1,048  

  

230  

  

8,271  

  

1,064  

  

387  

  

8,446  

  

841  

  

1,187  

  

8,781  

  

1,025  

  

741  

  

8,619  

  



Banff 

  

108  

  

46  

  

920  

  

127  

  

42  

  

978  

  

164  

  

45  

  

1,150  

  

162  

  

64  

  

1,082  

  

305  

  

212  

  

1,782  

  



Campbeltown 

  

33  

  

65  

  

690  

  

33  

  

60  

  

729  

  

73  

  

81  

  

681  

  

55  

  

64  

  

676  

  

59  

  

67  

  

623  

  



Cupar 

  

268  

  

211  

  

2,169  

  

297  

  

185  

  

2,107  

  

299  

  

168  

  

1,914  

  

451  

  

163  

  

2,215  

  

450  

  

122  

  

2,101  

  



Dingwall 

  

133  

  

4  

  

1,291  

  

114  

  

4  

  

1,860  

  

201  

  

57  

  

1,782  

  

263  

  

13  

  

1,379  

  

227  

  

10  

  

1,344  

  



Dornoch 

  

56  

  

13  

  

507  

  

68  

  

21  

  

585  

  

68  

  

26  

  

437  

  

55  

  

25  

  

396  

  

44  

  

13  

  

349  

  



Dumbarton 

  

1,261  

  

726  

  

7,054  

  

1,264  

  

687  

  

7,295  

  

1,324  

  

1,166  

  

8,022  

  

1,239  

  

1,133  

  

8,205  

  

1,528  

  

933  

  

8,436  

  



Dumfries 

  

450  

  

276  

  

6,414  

  

567  

  

412  

  

6,283  

  

815  

  

323  

  

6,347  

  

1,118  

  

289  

  

6,829  

  

1,299  

  

304  

  

7,678  

  



Dundee 

  

912  

  

336  

  

11,053  

  

1,538  

  

375  

  

10,338  

  

1,044  

  

180  

  

10,111  

  

1,100  

  

326  

  

9,704  

  

1,221  

  

372  

  

9,180  

  



Dunfermline 

  

764  

  

373  

  

7,077  

  

996  

  

320  

  

6,285  

  

732  

  

336  

  

5,794  

  

885  

  

290  

  

5,687  

  

956  

  

442  

  

5,724  

  



Dunoon 

  

106  

  

50  

  

1,151  

  

107  

  

57  

  

1,179  

  

145  

  

60  

  

1,170  

  

250  

  

105  

  

1,355  

  

150  

  

96  

  

1,187  

  



Duns 

  

89  

  

58  

  

1,678  

  

68  

  

48  

  

1,198  

  

56  

  

17  

  

823  

  

64  

  

24  

  

803  

  

61  

  

29  

  

882  

  



Edinburgh 

  

4,098  

  

1,225  

  

29,466  

  

3,963  

  

1,205  

  

28,183  

  

3,596  

  

984  

  

27,176  

  

2,681  

  

1,017  

  

26,462  

  

2,810  

  

1,354  

  

24,682  

  



Elgin 

  

357  

  

321  

  

3,667  

  

334  

  

177  

  

3,446  

  

480  

  

156  

  

3,446  

  

504  

  

217  

  

3,702  

  

456  

  

266  

  

3,511  

  



Falkirk 

  

988  

  

422  

  

7,355  

  

1,184  

  

411  

  

7,249  

  

1,096  

  

366  

  

7,106  

  

1,126  

  

430  

  

7,001  

  

1,062  

  

373  

  

6,982  

  



Forfar 

  

177  

  

68  

  

2,287  

  

252  

  

157  

  

2,007  

  

176  

  

64  

  

1,807  

  

190  

  

135  

  

2,007  

  

231  

  

111  

  

2,011  

  



Fort William 

  

95  

  

129  

  

1,526  

  

101  

  

192  

  

1,883  

  

100  

  

143  

  

1,608  

  

95  

  

152  

  

1,309  

  

131  

  

94  

  

1,143  

  



Glasgow 

  

14,068  

  

5,339  

  

67,615  

  

10,463  

  

5,100  

  

63,738  

  

9,343  

  

7,387  

  

64,364  

  

8,601  

  

8,656  

  

69,117  

  

10,562  

  

8,748  

  

74,469  

  



Greenock 

  

425  

  

405  

  

5,064  

  

369  

  

361  

  

5,117  

  

758  

  

754  

  

6,135  

  

865  

  

719  

  

6,160  

  

842  

  

660  

  

7,333  

  



Haddington 

  

550  

  

146  

  

4,116  

  

593  

  

98  

  

3,637  

  

420  

  

109  

  

2,789  

  

285  

  

117  

  

3,039  

  

442  

  

142  

  

2,685  

  



Hamilton 

  

2,181  

  

878  

  

17,069  

  

2,248  

  

945  

  

17,326  

  

2,288  

  

895  

  

17,828  

  

2,662  

  

1,083  

  

19,531  

  

2,533  

  

1,215  

  

17,951  

  



Inverness 

  

636  

  

289  

  

6,294  

  

906  

  

1,079  

  

6,491  

  

1,206  

  

1,119  

  

6,872  

  

986  

  

713  

  

6,805  

  

927  

  

303  

  

5,973  

  



Jedburgh 

  

164  

  

106  

  

1,510  

  

150  

  

27  

  

1,455  

  

99  

  

41  

  

1,748  

  

161  

  

50  

  

1,624  

  

154  

  

66  

  

1,453  

  



Kilmarnock 

  

1,158  

  

504  

  

9,504  

  

1,174  

  

482  

  

9,296  

  

1,380  

  

597  

  

10,339  

  

1,033  

  

599  

  

10,545  

  

1,085  

  

531  

  

11,295  

  



Kirkcaldy 

  

1,213  

  

630  

  

7,901  

  

990  

  

682  

  

7,438  

  

866  

  

544  

  

6,495  

  

1,005  

  

383  

  

6,640  

  

1,232  

  

429  

  

7,351  

  



Kirkcudbright 

  

61  

  

53  

  

1,076  

  

67  

  

56  

  

1,158  

  

126  

  

69  

  

1,651  

  

226  

  

89  

  

1,527  

  

214  

  

67  

  

1,346  

  



Kirkwall 

  

94  

  

53  

  

715  

  

38  

  

41  

  

704  

  

46  

  

43  

  

786  

  

67  

  

36  

  

598  

  

93  

  

18  

  

636  

  



Lanark 

  

455  

  

214  

  

3,731  

  

300  

  

153  

  

3,605  

  

343  

  

293  

  

3,977  

  

372  

  

318  

  

3,988  

  

340  

  

234  

  

3,215  

  



Lerwick 

  

167  

  

36  

  

823  

  

60  

  

43  

  

768  

  

80  

  

2  

  

854  

  

116  

  

24  

  

737  

  

118  

  

13  

  

713  

  



Linlithgow 

  

656  

  

278  

  

7,104  

  

1,211  

  

523  

  

6,730  

  

922  

  

397  

  

6,442  

  

775  

  

379  

  

6,464  

  

832  

  

346  

  

6,878  

  



Lochmaddy 

  

22  

  

7  

  

253  

  

37  

  

30  

  

296  

  

30  

  

18  

  

212  

  

37  

  

12  

  

234  

  

25  

  

13  

  

210  

  



Oban 

  

117  

  

18  

  

1,111  

  

138  

  

35  

  

1,022  

  

138  

  

48  

  

1,092  

  

129  

  

47  

  

1,083  

  

218  

  

41  

  

1,174  

  



Paisley 

  

1,729  

  

592  

  

10,768  

  

1,152  

  

557  

  

9,997  

  

1,389  

  

598  

  

10,026  

  

1,659  

  

550  

  

11,319  

  

1,410  

  

749  

  

11,349  

  



Peebles 

  

38  

  

23  

  

715  

  

59  

  

24  

  

507  

  

40  

  

13  

  

256  

  

7  

  

2  

  

48  

  

52  

  

11  

  

186  

  



Perth 

  

1,325  

  

1,063  

  

7,887  

  

876  

  

643  

  

7,116  

  

995  

  

530  

  

7,345  

  

909  

  

493  

  

6,905  

  

1,134  

  

413  

  

7,274  

  



Peterhead 

  

414  

  

128  

  

2,447  

  

277  

  

217  

  

2,582  

  

293  

  

80  

  

2,758  

  

411  

  

112  

  

3,114  

  

240  

  

117  

  

2,714  

  



Portree 

  

59  

  

21  

  

469  

  

33  

  

34  

  

504  

  

66  

  

47  

  

510  

  

62  

  

29  

  

456  

  

46  

  

38  

  

370  

  



Rothesay 

  

38  

  

25  

  

375  

  

27  

  

21  

  

272  

  

19  

  

28  

  

277  

  

39  

  

45  

  

252  

  

40  

  

37  

  

236  

  



Selkirk 

  

121  

  

110  

  

1,813  

  

142  

  

125  

  

1,996  

  

245  

  

176  

  

1,963  

  

285  

  

173  

  

2,173  

  

403  

  

101  

  

2,000  

  



Stirling 

  

475  

  

422  

  

5,008  

  

634  

  

424  

  

4,694  

  

680  

  

388  

  

4,574  

  

767  

  

544  

  

4,475  

  

777  

  

469  

  

4,423  

  



Stonehaven 

  

89  

  

117  

  

1,950  

  

76  

  

112  

  

1,937  

  

104  

  

110  

  

2,499  

  

112  

  

179  

  

2,507  

  

104  

  

120  

  

2,155  

  



Stornoway 

  

89  

  

15  

  

955  

  

63  

  

5  

  

961  

  

136  

  

31  

  

1,192  

  

52  

  

13  

  

908  

  

50  

  

25  

  

831  

  



Stranraer 

  

166  

  

110  

  

2,305  

  

219  

  

103  

  

2,256  

  

274  

  

69  

  

2,315  

  

391  

  

97  

  

2,513  

  

450  

  

105  

  

2,715  

  



Tain 

  

116  

  

46  

  

1,167  

  

139  

  

80  

  

1,167  

  

232  

  

61  

  

1,283  

  

209  

  

80  

  

1,242  

  

129  

  

81  

  

1,397  

  



Wick 

  

150  

  

55  

  

1,063  

  

111  

  

41  

  

942  

  

145  

  

48  

  

1,221  

  

167  

  

62  

  

1,062  

  

169  

  

49  

  

1,005  

  



  The number of cases marked no proceedings, and the total number of cases dealt with both include reports in connection with deaths and miscellaneous reports together with reports of alleged criminal conduct.

Local Government

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the current financial position of the DLOs in East Ayrshire and North Lanarkshire councils.

Mr Frank McAveety: This is a matter for the councils themselves, although the Scottish Executive continues to monitor progress in both councils under the terms of Directions issued under Section 19B of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980.

Local Government

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to ensure that the DLO deficits in East Ayrshire and North Lanarkshire councils do not recur.

Mr Frank McAveety: It is for both Councils to take responsibility for ensuring deficits do not recur. Under the terms of the Section 19B Directions, both councils have tendered a significant proportion of the relevant work to the private sector. North Lanarkshire Council are also developing a number of public/private partnerships. East Ayrshire Council’s DLO is undertaking some remaining work subject to robust benchmarking with private sector prices.

Local Government

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what changes have still to be introduced to the permanent management of the East Ayrshire and North Lanarkshire Council DLOs to ensure that an efficient service is provided to the public.

Mr Frank McAveety: It is for both Councils to take responsibility for ensuring that any necessary changes to the management of their DLOs are made. Under the terms of the Section 19B Directions, both councils are implementing business plans.

Rural Affairs

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-623 by Ross Finnie on 2 August 1999, whether it will provide further details of its examination of the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund (SRPF) and whether it intends to publish any report on completion of this examination and, in particular, whether it intends to continue funding to the SRPF beyond the current three year period.

Ross Finnie: I undertook the examination in order to assess whether the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund’s objectives were in keeping with the Partnership Agreement. There was no report of that assessment. The Fund comprises three parts, one of which includes grant support to Local Rural Partnerships over a maximum period of three years. There are no plans to alter this arrangement.

Social Inclusion

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will initiate a full investigation into the impact of the Working Families Tax Credit on indebted Scots.

Ms Wendy Alexander: No. We consider the introduction of the Working Families Tax Credit, which is the responsibility of the UK Government, to be a very positive step in tackling poverty in Scotland. We are advised that indebtedness is not a factor affecting an individual’s eligibility to claim WFTC.

Trade

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what direct trade, both import and export, Scotland has with Indonesia, and what is the nature of that trade.

Henry McLeish: Scotland’s manufactured exports to Indonesia last year amounted to £21.7 million. The top three exporting sectors were: 1. Machinery and Equipment; 2. Electrical machinery and apparatus; 3. Pulp paper and paper products. It is not possible at this time to provide import figures for Scotland, as the only figures currently recorded are for the UK as a whole. However, Customs and Excise have put in place new procedures and will be able to provide figures for Scotland from January 2000.

Water

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to improve standards of urban wastewater treatment systems as outlined in Making it Work Together: A Programme for Government .

Sarah Boyack: The water authorities are undertaking an investment programme of £1.7bn over the next 3 years. The main purpose of this investment is to meet the requirements of the Urban Waste Water Treatment (Scotland) Regulations 1994, which will result in significant improvements to the quality of the discharges into our rivers, estuaries and seas around Scotland.

Water

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to raise the quality of Scotland’s drinking water as outlined in Making it Work Together: A Programme for Government .

Sarah Boyack: The water authorities are undertaking an investment programme of £1.7bn over the next 3 years. Part of this will meet the investment needs of the European Drinking Water Directive (98/83/EC) that will introduce new quality standards from the end of 2003.

Water

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list its planned financial contribution to British Waterways in (i) 1999-2000, (ii) 2000-01, (iii) 2001-02 and (iv) 2002-03; and specifically what resources it plans to make available to British Waterways to repair the existing canal system in those years.

Sarah Boyack: This information is not available at present. The British Waterways Board (BWB) is specified as a cross-border public authority and discussions are currently taking place between the Scottish Executive, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and BWB about the transfer of relevant functions to the Scottish Ministers and the amount of grant in aid to be advanced to BWB by the Scottish Executive for its operations in Scotland.

Water

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to nominate a Chairman or board members to the Board of British Waterways and whether it will list the present Chairman and board members of British Waterways.

Sarah Boyack: British Waterways is classified as a cross-border public authority under the Scotland Act 1998. Section 88(2)(a) of that Act has the effect that UK Ministers must consult the Scottish Ministers before making any appointment to the Board. Discussions are currently taking place between the Scottish Executive, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and British Waterways about the most appropriate allocation of functions, including appointments to the Board, between Ministers of the Crown and the Scottish Ministers. The present Chairman and board members of British Waterways are listed below:-

  Dr George Greener (Chairman)

  David Yorke (Vice Chair)

  Campbell Christie

  Sir Neil Cossons

  Carolan Dobson

  Jane Elvy

  Paul King

  Janet Lewis-Jones

  Peter Soulsby

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Recycling

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer further to his answer to question S1W-288 on 13 July 1999, whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will provide an update on the timetable for arrangements for the recycling of waste paper within the Scottish Parliament.

Sir David Steel: The Procurement Office is currently in the process of negotiating a contract for waste management, including the recycling of waste paper. It is likely that services will commence by the middle of next month.